https://www.redmond.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14174/Investigative-Report-Redmond-FINAL
WORKPLACE INVESTIGATION DURING COVID CRISIS
A preponderance of the evidence supports a conclusion that City Administration requested a transition of leadership in the ECC in March of 2020 due to concern about availability and effectiveness of then-current leadership. Availability and effectiveness of some individuals in leadership positions was likely impacted by illness (whether or not each employee was completely unavailable or attempting to work off and on from home); however, failure to provide clear communication, leadership, and planning left a void that City Administration felt needed to be filled during a serious and quickly evolving crisis situation. The fact that health information about affected employees also implicated potential privacy issues, and that the actual medical status of various employees was, in and of itself, not clear, complicated the situation. ECC initial activities related to external community partners and agencies appears consistent with the Administration’s recognition of strengths in the early-ECC’s outward-focusing activities, and volunteers, liaison staff and support appear to continue providing community support through a task force and other activities. However, there appears to have been a disconnect about the significance of internal needs of the City itself as an organization, which is also a function of the ECC. While a number of “seats” in the ECC are staffed by and for various functional purposes that include coordination of support for City services (including staff who provide the services), it does not appear ECC leadership at the time was setting in motion needed focus on internal as well as external objectives at the time. Some key personnel in the ECC’s leadership roles had become ill, but little information was shared about their health status, availability, or limitations. A number of witnesses noticed these personnel appeared to be less available, there seemed to be a void of communication or articulated plan of action for the ECC, and department directors (who were also on the Emergency Preparedness Council) grew increasingly concerned about independently performing logistical functions (i.e., locating scarce PPE and emergency supplies) in addition to managing their own departmental staffing and operations under increasingly difficult circumstances. The evidence supports a conclusion that the Police personnel assigned to manage the ECC have do have ICS and NIMS training and experience with incident management. Additional staff staffing the ECC also have ICS training.
-- excerpt from "Independent" investigator.
WORKPLACE INVESTIGATION DURING COVID CRISIS
A preponderance of the evidence supports a conclusion that City Administration requested a transition of leadership in the ECC in March of 2020 due to concern about availability and effectiveness of then-current leadership. Availability and effectiveness of some individuals in leadership positions was likely impacted by illness (whether or not each employee was completely unavailable or attempting to work off and on from home); however, failure to provide clear communication, leadership, and planning left a void that City Administration felt needed to be filled during a serious and quickly evolving crisis situation. The fact that health information about affected employees also implicated potential privacy issues, and that the actual medical status of various employees was, in and of itself, not clear, complicated the situation. ECC initial activities related to external community partners and agencies appears consistent with the Administration’s recognition of strengths in the early-ECC’s outward-focusing activities, and volunteers, liaison staff and support appear to continue providing community support through a task force and other activities. However, there appears to have been a disconnect about the significance of internal needs of the City itself as an organization, which is also a function of the ECC. While a number of “seats” in the ECC are staffed by and for various functional purposes that include coordination of support for City services (including staff who provide the services), it does not appear ECC leadership at the time was setting in motion needed focus on internal as well as external objectives at the time. Some key personnel in the ECC’s leadership roles had become ill, but little information was shared about their health status, availability, or limitations. A number of witnesses noticed these personnel appeared to be less available, there seemed to be a void of communication or articulated plan of action for the ECC, and department directors (who were also on the Emergency Preparedness Council) grew increasingly concerned about independently performing logistical functions (i.e., locating scarce PPE and emergency supplies) in addition to managing their own departmental staffing and operations under increasingly difficult circumstances. The evidence supports a conclusion that the Police personnel assigned to manage the ECC have do have ICS and NIMS training and experience with incident management. Additional staff staffing the ECC also have ICS training.
-- excerpt from "Independent" investigator.
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